Scrabble is a true classic. Who doesn’t know how to play Scrabble? Well, obviously you since you’re probably here to learn about it. Read on.
Scrabble is a staple in my home. Most of my family loves it. I play my mother at least once a week. We’re pretty evenly matched so it makes for a cutthroat game. For some reason my brother refuses to play. He’s smart so I can’t figure out what his problem is. I guess he just can’t stand it when I win. Sore loser!
Even though Scrabble comes with it’s own complete set of rules I’ve noticed that people like to play with their own variations. In my family we play by the rule that if you have three of the same letter in your rack you can put one back and draw another tile. Other people I’ve played won’t do that. Some play with a dictionary, some don’t. Some use a time limit on each turn, others stare at their tiles for an hour before they do anything. Some allow abbreviations and proper names (!!!), I definitely do not. I just stick with playing my family to avoid fist fights.
O.K. Enough about me. Here’s the lowdown:
What you get:
Your basic Scrabble game comes with complete rules and instructions, game board, letter tiles, drawstring bag, and four racks. Scrabble games come in many styles and sizes to fit your needs. There’s the basic flat board (which is the one I’m reviewing), several types of small travel sizes, and large deluxe games which come with nice big tiles and a board with raised-edge spaces that each player can rotate. I’ve owned a deluxe set for years and if you can find one it’s worth the extra money. The tiles don’t slide around and it’s really convenient to be able to spin the board to face you when it’s your turn.
How to play:
You can play with two to four players. To start each player draws one tile from the bag. The player with the letter closest to A goes first. These tiles are returned to the bag and each person draws seven tiles. The first person uses his/her tiles to place the first word on the center of the board. They then draw enough tiles from the bag to replace the ones they used and write down their score. The next player places a word by building off of the first word and so on until all the tiles are gone. When all the tiles are gone or if all players can’t make a word and must pass the game ends. The player with the highest score wins. The losers clean up the game. Haha.
Scoring:
Each letter has it’s own point value. The more difficult the letter is to use the more it’s worth. Letters like Q and Z are worth 10 points each while the most common and easy to use letters, like E and T are only worth 1 point each.
Earn a higher score by using the double and triple letter score and double and triple word score spaces that are scattered throughout the board.
Earn a 50 point bonus for using all seven letters in one turn! Don’t think you can gloat if you pull it off. Your opponent can easily catch up if you’re not careful.
Learn to use strategy. Place that Q on a triple letter score, pluralize an existing word with an S then build off of it to make two words, and never set your opponent up to take the triple word score.
Cons:
-You need to have good spelling skills.
-You need a good (preferably fantastic) vocabulary.
-You can’t play against your children (if they’re young). They haven’t built up their vocabulary yet and you’ll just massacre them. It’s no fun unless you like making them cry.
-A lot of the game depends on the luck of the draw. If you happen to get a lot of hard to use letters you’re in trouble.
Scrabble can be found in just about any toy or department store. It’s inexpensive, educational, and definitely worth having around for rainy days or when the in-laws come over to visit.